In a tablet filling instrument which dispenses tablets into a vial in accordance with prescription data and discharges the vial filled with the tablets in an outlet, it is necessary to keep the vial waiting at the outlet until being taken out by an operator. That's why, conventionally, as described in the below-identified patent document 1 for example, there has been provided a plurality of outlets, at each of which a pair of holding members urged toward a direction approaching each other, so as to hold a barrel of a vial in the pair of holding members.
However, such a configuration as provided with a pair of holding members had had disadvantages such as the need for a longer distance to convey the vial filled with tablets to the holding members by a conveyer and for a higher manufacturing cost because of a complicated mechanism with an urging member for urging a pair of holding members.
Patent Document 1: JP 2005-211537 A